In Photos: 2015 BOTW Classic

The WTA's first stop on the road to the US Open

#BOTW15

The Bank of the West Classic is one of my favorite tournaments on the WTA tour. It’s small enough that the pace is never frantic yet it has so much history that it always draws the big names. 44 years strong, it is the oldest women’s-only event in tennis. Do I even have to list the names of the former champions? (Billie Jean, Martina, Monica, Lindsay, Chris, Kim, Venus, Serena… you know them.)

So, I’m very disappointed to have missed it this year. Thankfully, fellow photographer and Californian, Mal Taam, covered the tournament and was kind enough to share some of his photos here.

SUMMER IN STANFORD

Unlike most cities in Northern California (e.g. the perpetually cold San Francisco), Stanford (or Palo Alto) is actually warm in the summer! Perfect for tennis.

And on the rare occasion that it gets summer rain, well… #bestcoast.

FINALS

On Championship Sunday, Angelique Kerber defeated Karolina Pliskova to win her 7th WTA title (4th of 2015). And just like their last meeting in a final, in Birmingham this past June, Kerber outlasted Pliskova in 3 grueling sets.